Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam, others acquitted in two separate cases

In two separate cases, a magistrate’s court acquitted former MP and Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam and others for holding protest rallies. In the first case, Nirupam and seven others were booked in 2016 for holding rallies against the then Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state and another in 2018.

Police had invoked charges under the Maharashtra Police Act for unlawful assembly. In the 2016 case, police claimed that around 1,200-1,300 people had assembled and were shouting slogans against BJP, Shiv Sena and PM Narendra Modi while obstructing traffic movement on the road.

Police claimed that the protest was held without requisite permissions. The court said that while it was claimed that there were 1,200-1,300 people in the rally, only eight are charged and the others are not shown as absconding accused. Therefore, it is doubtful if there were so many people assembled for the rally, the court added.